Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign on Mondayunveiled a batch of TV spots pushing the governor’s budget-season agenda. While three of those ads — upstate and downstate versions of a pitch for the proposed property tax “freeze” and one calling for a slowdown in the Common Core implementation — were offered in video form, a clip touring Cuomo’s ethics reform ideas, including public financing of campaigns, was given only as script.

The governor has included these ethics measures in his executive budget proposal.

Cuomo spokesmen offered no explanation for the absence of a finished cut of this particular ad, and scoffed at the notion that its seeming non-existence should be taken in any way as a sign that this aspect of the governor’s agenda was the red-headed stepchild of the bunch — perhaps because ethics reform can be a toxic element during the tender stage of budget negotiations with lawmakers who are already honked off about subpoenas from the Moreland Commission on public corruption, not to mention the fact that Senate Republicans would sooner approve a New York State Mars Colonization Program than a taxpayer-funded matching system for candidates.

This is comical. How about the Empire State Employee who was just fined only $5,000. Meanwhile, the HR staff new about this for a while, the person has been retired for almost 2 years and it just shows the Cuomo and his staff have no idea what’s going on or have any control of the corrupt patronage positions they keep filling and staff who still are on the payroll even though they should be fired, stripped of their pensions and publicly shamed.

Not interested with this. I mute him every time his squeaky voice comes on. He did something unethical by passing the SFAE Act in the weeeeeeee hours of the night. until he say’s it is repealed ….Not interested in what he says. Will vote for Senator Rob Astorino and will send him $$$$ to help his campaign.

Instead of adding Public Financing and wasting more taxpayer dollars, why not put a reasonable cap on how much a campaign can spend for a positon? Like 100K for a Mayor, 1 million for a State Senator, 2 million for Governor? Spend less instead of spending more? (Besides, I am SICK of those robo calls right before an election.)

Yet this fool is sitting on 30 million dollars collected in a manner that he’s trying to make illegal. I guess it’s the same old do as I say not as I do. If the Moreland Commission were for real Cuomo would be indicted.

@JAB – the Supreme Court has ruled (wrongly IMHO) that campaign “contributions” are free speech, thus making the cap you suggest impossible/
Public Financing of elections does not waste taxpayer dollars, it SAVES taxpayer dollars.
The 1% Corporate Elite may be heartless & immoral, but when it comes to INVESTING they are not stupid. They don’t make “contributions” out of the goodness of their hearts, but because they get MASSIVE returns on these investments in the way of Corporate Loopholes, Corporate Welfare 7 Tax Give-aways to the rich.
If we stop the 1% Corporate Elite from CORRUPTLY BUYING elections, we can close Corporate Loopholes, make the 1% pay their fair share of taxes, & end Corporate Welfare as we know it.
We can save the taxpayers BIG BUCKS. The cost of publicly funded elections is LESS THAN 1 PENNY per day per New Yorker. This is chump change compared to the many BILLIONS we will save by taking on Corruption.
Let’s note that the Corporate Lobbyists are totally OPPOSED to reform. Obviously it must be a threat to their ability to CORRUPT politicians.

That 1% might be able to contribute more but the 99% are the ones that have the power to vote. That 1% that “buy elections” don’t the votes. Maybe instead of talking about contributions we should be talking about how to get more people to vote.

Oh, one more thing, does anyone realize that Corps have a limit on how much they can give a year? Its $5,000 aggregate total. Do you know how much a labor union can give? They have no limit, they can max out to every single campaign they want to. Who’s buying elections?

“Cuomo 2014?s ethics reform commercial”
.
There must be an upcoming election for NYS Governor because once again the same old talking points are being rolled out while the 1% pays lip service to the electorate.
.
Ethics reform, job creation, tax freeze (no cuts)? Surely you jest.
.
Haven’t we heard this a time or two (or ten thousand) before?

@sammy: If we redistribute the wealth, who will create the jobs, and give the millions, and even billions, to charities? You constantly harp on the 1%, but it is that 1% who built the corporations and businesses that built this country. Without these people, who have the vision, and were willing to take the risks, and dedicate the time, and it takes a lot more than 40 hours a week, to build these companies and small businesses, the world would still be back in the pre-Industrial Revolution days, and most people couldn’t handle that hard, hard life. The 1% built the comfortable world we live in today, and earned their wealth. Yes there are some that are corrupt and go beyond the scope of good business practices, but most have given more than any average worker, to create what we have today. Welcome to the truth.

@ Sammy
An educated electorate will beat the corporate elite’s money anytime in an election. Problem is we have an electorate with too many disinterested, uneducated and/or undereducated voters… How does that problem get solved?

KInd of amateurish Cuomo campaign promo but he is not waiting for the Prince of Westchester to get his campaign off the ground before going into attack mode. Astorino is not going to be able to sandbag his resources until the end of the campaign. If he tries that he will have lost the governor’s race by September…. Smartly, Andrew is putting the pressure on practically from day #1.….

Andrew Cuomo is not well liked by New Yorkers, and you know that if you read the blogs, as most of us do.

I have a question for all of you, are you enjoying your life as much as these politicians are enjoying there lives? HELL NO. You have one life, just one life to live. How can you enjoy your life without money? You can’t.

Stop this madness with promoting politicians and shaking their dirty hands like they’re some kind of a celebrity or your personal hero. They should be spewed upon for what they have done to the working class Americans.

The #1 rule in government should be, if you make less than $30,000.00 a year. You automatically should not have to pay taxes, you should be able to get FINANCIAL AID, you should get a free SNAP CARD (food stamps), free medical care, and free college for you and your children to get an education. This should be made into law for all New Yorkers, it should be mandate, but, it’s not because all the taxes we pay go into the same politicians pockets, election after election, they’re all playing musical chairs.

ROB ASTORINO IS THE FALL GUY!!! He knows he’s gonna lose this race, but, he is gonna make out nicely financially for doing it.

When I read an article like this about (“POLITICIANS RUNNING FOR OFFICE”) do you know what comes into my mind, wow, that’s interesting how these politicians are playing “Political” musical chairs popping from one job to another, just like that… The Yonkers Politician Mike Spano goes from being a Legislator to Mayor of Yonkers, as these same old politicians continue to play musical chairs from one tax paying job to another.

For instance, Ken Jenkins goes from being Yonkers NAACP to Yonkers Democratic Leader to News 12 Commentator to etc. etc. etc. to Legislator to Westchester Legislator Chair to Yonkers Industrial Development Agency head.

* Mr. Ken Jenkins, wow, not even people with a Masters Degree can find one good paying job in Westchester County, how do you do it?

* Mr. Ken Jenkins, the head of the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency, the jack of all trades and master of none in Westchester County Politics!

Then we had Noam Bramson run against Rob Astorino, and now we have Rob Astorino run against Andrew Cuomo, do you see the pattern here?

Take a look at past patterns of elections, how it’s the same politicians rotating political seat after political seat, and how they always have a job. Andy Spano lost to Rob Astorino, and then, Andy Spano was appointed to Andrew Cuomo’s team in Albany, immediately to a no show job at the taxpayers expense. It’s a vicious cycle and nobody is doing anything to stop them. Like, did you even know that Janet Difiore ran for re-election in the last election, hell no, no body even ran against her. Don’t you find that interesting?

I guess our new motto should be, what the hell, if you can’t beat them join them! That is why I called Westchester County GOP Chairman Doug Colety, Today, Friday, March 7, 2014 at 10:45 a.m. I’m a Republican, and I decided to ask Doug Colety to put me on the ballet against Andrea Stewart-Cousins for Senator of New York. I know plenty of Republicans who will nominate me and will second my nomination. I would win in a heartbeat because I’m an Investigative News Reporter and I spend most of my time listening to the people’s complaints and I expose all the political corruption from Westchester County-Albany.

Please citizens join me let’s all run for office and announce we all want to run publicly. Let’s make some noise, let’s all sign up to run for political office and enjoy our lives as much, as these politicians are enjoying their lives.

* Did you know that most of the people who work in government office didn’t take the civil service test, 99% of the people who take the civil service test are told that they failed it.

* The test is without a review, which means you have to take their word for it that you failed the test.

* There is no book to study to take the test.

* The civil test is a waste of taxpayers money, it should be done away with.

Personally, I just finished writing a 50 page complaint against a powerful entity in Westchester County, New York! I would make a wonderful Senator for the people of Westchester County, for the 35th district representing Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Tarrytown, and parts of Yonkers, White Plains, and New Rochelle and beyond. I don’t need special interests to line my pockets, I’ll make do with what I have (“The Truth”) besides I’ll use social media to win this race in 2014.

I think the (“New York Government”) is completely corrupt, not just one or two politicians are disgraceful, but all. (“Scandal after Scandal”), and they continue to get re-elected! That is what raises New Yorkers eyebrows at the Board of Elections. How do these corrupt politicians stay in office because New Yorkers are not voting for them. Very few people vote anymore, just ask anyone who works the polls. I’m an investigative News Reporter and I can tell you clearly that the Board of Elections need to be raided and all their documentation needs to be confiscated and all past and current employees at the Board of Elections need to be questioned by the FBI about the corrupt practices of the Board of Elections. Will it happen? I doubt it.

Doug Colety, GOP Chairman, works at the Westchester County Board of Elections? He must know what’s going on at that place? I heard.

@Sammy – you wrote, “The 1% Corporate Elite may be heartless & immoral”. What about the public employee union leaders and their singular focus to drive up state spending and taxes so that they can continue to get fat? Aren’t they just as heartless & immoral?
No proposed system has thus far done anything to neuter the influence of both biz and labor. And until such a proposal is proposed, NOTHING will change in Albany or for that matter DC.
The power of organized labor is obvious. The recent NYC Mayoral election saw a flood of union donations in support of Bill DeBlasio. Rather than trust the money from the City’s public finance program the DeBlasio team used a loophole to secure $8 million from unions. The Mayor supports a tax the rich scheme to pay for pre-kindergarten. Taxing the rich guarantees money to pay back organized labor with large, budget busting, taxpayer funded salary hikes.

@Bob Brown – the redistribution of wealth is what the 1% have done; the US economy doubled over the past 30 years but ALL of the gains went to the 1%; we simply need to reverse this.
It has been shown over & over that the idea that the 1% are “job-creators” is a Republican myth. JOBS are created by MIDDLE CLASS consumers. When we have money to spend it creates jobs. When the rich get more, they save it, they have more money than they can ever spend.
All we are saying is that the 1% and their multinational corporations PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE.
But thank you again for reminding everyone that Republicans like you are ALWAYS sticking up for the interests of the 1% Corporate Elite.

@hawkny – in places with publicly funded/voter owned elections, big money does not control as much of the information & the electorate is more informed, less turned off by corruption, & participates more.
Why are Republicans always trying to find SOME way to claim REFORM will not work? Could it be the 1% Corporate Elite are really afraid it could end their ability to BUY political power?

sammy, not only are the ³corporate lobbyists² opposed to
reform, even more so are the public employee and big labor unions. You might want to do a Google search on what organizations make the largest
contributions to state legislature candidates. Never let the facts get in
the way of a 1% yada yada yada diatribe.

GOV. CUOMO IS OUT OF TOUCH: It seems as if Cuomo is more concerned about giving free college to prison inmates than saving jobs here in NY State.

That’s right, Cuomo, if he gets his way, will be using YOUR TAX DOLLARS to provide college education to rapists, murderers, pedophiles, muggers, domestic abusers, etc. So if you want to vote for him in November, you’re part of the problem that is causing NY State to lose 8,705 people per month who leave NY for freer, less taxed states like Florida.

NY State under Cuomo Governorship:
570 jobs lost-Sikorsky Aircraft-closed
174 jobs lost -Dal-Tile Corp-closed
592 jobs lost- Archcare Inc-closing
375 jobs lost- Ralcorp- closing 2 plants
84 jobs lost- Vette Thermal Solutions – moving to NH
350 jobs lost -Daikin McQuay-moving Auburn plant to Tennessee
86 jobs lost-Oberdorfer foundry in DeWitt, NY is closing in May
65 jobs lost – Advanced Monolythic Ceramics in Olean – moving to CA
35 jobs lost-Bombardier Mass transit – closing
50 jobs lost-Spectrum Plastics – closing
160 jobs lost-Menands company (Albany International) – moving to NH by end of 2013
700 jobs lost-IBM June 2013
400 jobs Bausch & Lomb HQ leaving Rochester, NY
2,000 jobs lost – Remington expanding $32m ammunition plant outside Cuomo’s business & 2nd Rights hostile NY
100+ Jobs Kahr Firearms Group – heading to Pennsylvania to avoid business risks faced in NY under Cuomo
200 jobs lost – December 2013 update: General Electric has announced it will move 200 jobs from its capacitor plant in Fort Edward, NY to Florida in order to cut costs.
600 jobs lost – Alcoa’s decision to shut down the Massena East plant announced January 2014.
525 jobs lost – The Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. announced Tuesday January 22, 2014 that it will be closing its Old Mill Road plant in the next two to three years, a move that will affect hundreds of local employees.
300 jobs lost – Penguin Group USA Incorporated a/k/a Penguin Random House announced the elimination of ~ 300 jobs – going to Westminster, Md. and Crawfordsville, Ind. and out of NY State by year end.

Unfortunately, NY ranks last in the United States as far as business friendly environments. Cuomo is no friend to NY State Business & it’s time for him to go.

@sammy: Sorry buddy, I am not a Republican, or a Democrat, or a Conservative, or any of the other labels that so many choose. I am not a Heritage voter, who will follow in my parents or grandparents footsteps, as I decide on who I will give my vote to. I am a realist, and this State and this Country have suffered under the leadership of the major parties for way too long. It is time to outlaw political parties, and make the electorate investigate the candidates, and the candidates to present a notarized compact, with the people, of what their true agenda consists of, on every issue. What is not enforced is the fact that accepting election to public office is a tacit contract , by the electee, with the electors, the people, the voters. But nobody asks for the contract details before voting. And nobody pursues reparations, from the electee, when they violate that tacit contract. Shame on us, for not demanding that their promises and claims were nothing but empty promises. The one question we should all ask our candidates, here in New York, before we vote, is, “Do you support the establishment of a system of recall, approved by the citizens of New York, and passed into law?” If they don’t, then vote for someone else. I intend to ask Astorino, who supports term limits for all public offices, an idea that is long overdue, and should include ending pensions for all elected officials. We should also ask if they support the plethora of Authorities, that exist in NYS, and the political appointment system. We The People are their bosses, and we should be able to fire those who aren’t doing the job we chose them for, and we should have approval of anyone they choose to hire, as an appointee. I know it might slow some processes, but I think that would be a good thing. The corruption and the career politicians must go, as well as political Parties. They are the roots of all that is wrong with our government, both in NYS and the country.

In fact sammy, if we held our politicians to those standards, and could rein in corruption and cronyism, we might be able to cut the budget waste, and the funding for their cronies, as tax breaks and incentives, and use those monies to provide higher education for all New Yorkers, so that the the disparity in wealth and income could be erased. If we can lower our taxes, pare regulations to a rational level and provide good governance, we wouldn’t have to bribe business to come to New York. Think about it. No more political parties. All candidates must, by law, run on their personal merit, with total transparency. So sammy, stop being a parrot for unreal extremism, and a heritage voter, and apply that energy to demanding better government for all New Yorkers. We will never all agree on every issue, any of us.

This man has no ethics. Look what he has done to the M/C employees. He has been a bully and punished M/C Employees just because he can. I just can’t believe that this man would have the gall to speak about ethics. He pushes ethics down the throats of state employees but yet he is going to be mailing $350 checks to families one month before the elections. If this isn’t buying votes I don’t know what is. Is the governor next going to tell us that it is ethical that he buys votes.

Ask the 9,000 MCs how “ethical” it was for the Governor to deny their raises since he took office while spending millions on his “Fellows” program to hire politically connected kids of high roller campaign donees – so he can have an army of newly graduated inexperienced skulls full of mush @$75K a pop.

Congrats to Dryden…If that location of Cuomo’s office location can be verified for these productions (unreimbursed use of public facilities for campaign purposes by an incumbent) I’m sure that J-COPE will launch an immediate and thorough investigation and the results of same will be published after Election Day…yet am I the only one that sees the Prince missing a beat here..a pretty lackluster performance…

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Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.